City Council

1 CITY OF COLLEGE PARK 2 MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL 3 REGULAR SESSION 4 JANUARY 16, 2024 5 6 MINUTES 7 8 Present: Mayor Bianca Motley Broom; Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie, 9 Councilman Joe Carn, Councilwoman Tracie Arnold, and Councilman 10 Roderick Gay; City Manager Stanley Hawthorne; City Clerk Shavala Ames; 11 and City Attorney Winston Denmark. 12 13 Absent; None. 14 15 1. Opening Ceremonies. 16 17 A. Pledge of allegiance to the flag. 18 19 B. Invocation by Chaplain Stewart. 20 21 2. Additions, Deletions, Amendments, Or Changes To The Agenda. 22 23 City Manager Stanley Hawthorne said nothing from staff. 24 25 Mayor Motley Broom asked, anything from the Body? 26 27 Councilman Joe Carn said I received your email. Are those two back on the agenda now? 28 29 City Manager Stanley Hawthorne said no, you would need to add them Councilman Carn. 30 31 Councilman Joe Carn said let’ go ahead and add them on. 32 33 City Manager Stanley Hawthorne said one is a to approve the development of a hotel/motel 34 multifamily lighting standards. The second one is a motion to approve bi-monthly 35 multifamily taskforce meetings. 36 37 Councilman Joe Carn said there was one additional one that slipped my mind. It is on 38 impact fees. I wanted to initiate an impact fee study. 39 40 Councilman Joe Carn said I have one more, a discussion on the MARTA contracts for the 41 7 acres with the Flint River Deal, IGA. I think that is it. 42 43 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to add to the agenda Items 8m, Development of 44 hotel/motel multifamily lighting standards; 8n, Motion to approve bi- 45 monthly multifamily taskforce meetings; 8o, Discussion of impact fees; and Regular Session 01/16/24 Page 1 of 33 46 8p, Discussion of contract with MARTA and the City of College Park, 47 seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried. 48 49 3. Approval of Agenda. 50 51 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve the January 16, 2024 Meeting Agenda, 52 seconded by Councilwoman Tracie Arnold and motion carried. 53 54 4. Presentation Of Minutes Of City Council. 55 56 A. Regular Session held January 2, 2024. 57 58 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Regular Session Minutes dated January 59 2, 2024, with corrections, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried 60 as follows: 61 62 Packet Page 24, Line 243, missing Ms. Leann Gray for CPMFA. 63 64 B. Workshop Session held January 2, 2024. 65 66 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Workshop Session Minutes dated 67 January 2, 2024, as presented, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and 68 motion carried. 69 70 C. Special Called Meeting held September 27, 2023. 71 72 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Special Called Meeting Minutes dated 73 September 27, 2023, as presented, seconded by Councilman Gay. 74 Councilman Carn voted yes. Councilman Gay voted yes. Councilwoman 75 McKenzie abstained. Councilwoman Arnold abstained. Motion passed. 76 77 D. Special Called Meeting held January 5, 2024. 78 79 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Special Called Meeting Minutes dated 80 January 5. 2024, as presented, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion 81 carried. 82 83 5. Remarks Of Citizens. 84 85 Ms. Millie Gosh, 2348 Rugby Avenue, College Park, Ga., came forward and said I’m 86 a business owner on Main Street, and I live on Rugby Avenue. I want to thank you so 87 much for the time that you put in. It has not gone without notice. I just wanted to make 88 sure you guys knew how important this community is to us as citizens. 89 90 Ms. Gosh said change is always nerve racking. I understand there is going to be a 91 parliamentary change that is brought up on the second where the Mayor would not be Regular Session Page 2 of 33 01/16/2024  92 hosting the meeting. I just don’t understand. I’d like to know a little bit more. So, 93 going forward, when you make decisions for this sweet little town, I want you to do it 94 without hatred, without racism, without ego, without corruption, and without self- 95 promotion. Because the citizens of College Park deserve honesty and fairness in their 96 governess. And we’re going to be watching just to make sure we understand. Thank 97 you very much. 98 99 Ms. Betsy Eastman, 1833 Rugby Avenue, College Park, Ga., came forward and said I 100 want to echo Millie Gosh’s comments about thanking you for your work, because two 101 of you are just starting this process of taking on the challenges of running this City. It 102 will take a lot of effort to be involved and to be responsive to us as citizens, and we 103 certainly do appreciate that when we hear back from you. 104 105 Ms. Eastman said I am speaking in opposition to the Ordinance to Amend the 106 parliamentary procedure that was raised on January 2, 2024. In that meeting I don’t 107 understand. We’ve been running our meetings here in College Park for years with 108 having a Mayor running them, and I don’t understand why you feel the need to change 109 that process. Our Mayor does follow procedure. She tries to move it along efficiently. 110 She is polite. She is fair. And yet, many times she has over spoken as she is trying to 111 administer the meeting in a proper and correct way. 112 113 Ms. Eastman said there seems to be petty politics. We have a lot of things going on, a 114 lot of questions about how we’re spending our money. But tonight, my concern is how 115 we are treating each other on this council with respect. And I ask for you to change 116 your minds on this Ordinance and to think about what all of us want as citizens in this 117 city. Thank you. 118 119 Ms. Tina Hill, 3515 Parkview Drive, College Park, Ga., came forward and said I am 120 going to start off with the trees. Unfortunately, last week we had a gentleman from 121 Jonesboro die when a tree fell on him when he drove to work. We have so many dead 122 trees that the City owns, and they are very tall with a lot of dead weeds all over them. 123 When they do fall, who is going to get killed or lose a home? I spoke to my 124 Councilperson McKenzie and gave her two examples within three blocks of my home. 125 I don’t know if it is a line item in the budget. I don’t know which department is in 126 charge of that, or if that is something the City has. 127 128 Ms. Hill said the second thing is communication. Quality and clarity is so needed. At 129 the first of the year I came to a personal Swearing-In, and the flyer had the wrong date. 130 There were people who didn’t even come because the wrong date was on the flyer. We 131 need a calendar where people can participate in our community. Push Push had an 132 opening; where was that advertised? The police had coffee with citizens. I saw 133 pictures. But unless you hit Facebook at the right time, you’re missing out. What about 134 people who don’t have the internet? Understand that not everybody has the same 135 access or the same abilities. We should not be advertising things only on Facebook. 136 We used to do it in the utility bill. 137 Regular Session Page 3 of 33 01/16/2024 138 Ms. Hill said lastly, I’m going to voice a concern that is probably going to divide a lot 139 of people. I’m on the old mail list for our old, retired person Ambrose Clay. I love 140 Ambrose. He served well. He is going to keep his “Clay On Council” website. And I 141 replied to him immediately, because I think that is a disservice to new people coming 142 into the community. He is not “Clay On Council”, and I asked him, please change the 143 name. We don’t need to keep dividing people. Can I ask for someone’s 30 seconds? 144 145 ACTION: Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie moved to allow Ms. Hill more time to 146 finish her comments, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried. 147 148 Councilman Joe Carn said we have never had to vote on this before. This is a perfect 149 example of communication issues. 150 151 Ms. Hill continued. We have an election. It’s done. We have to move forward. I 152 know there are people upset about Robert’s Rules and what happened. It is what it is. 153 Mayor, you have a new website; mayorbianca.com. And my concern, I don’t think we 154 need a rehash of thoughts of a meeting. We need to help people. We have people with 155 no heat. We have big concerns in our city. We have to put this petty crap aside. So, 156 that’s my concern. People are going to hate me if they want to. I don’t really care at 157 this point. This thing with ‘Clay On Council”; stop. You’re not on Council. Mayor, 158 please, I know you’re upset. Please, let’s be fair on the website. I think we have to 159 give Council some credit. They had a great first meeting. We’re going to move this 160 city forward. Thank you for the extra time. 161 162 Ms. Stephanie Jones, 1824 Cambridge Avenue, College Park, Ga., came forward and 163 said I believe the Mayor’s ability to share her knowledge and insights on city business 164 is a critical element of our continued success. I implore you not to be shortsighted, but 165 to think about the future of this great city and acknowledge all of the voices that can 166 make it great. And I ask that you consider this as part of your consideration of the 167 change to parliamentary procedures. Thank you. 168 169 City Clerk Shavala Ames said next I am moving on to the email comments. 170 171 Ms. Wendy Tennery stated: As a very concerned citizen of College Park, I am appalled 172 at the lack of teamwork the city council members have demonstrated thus far. 173 Councilwoman McKenzie cited Roberts rules of Order to silence mayor Motley 174 Broom. In my research, I’ve found that Roberts Rules of Order is “recommended to be 175 used in groups larger than 12. In small groups it is imperative that the mayor must have 176 a voice in order to present a fair, and balanced argument.” 177 178 Also, it is stated that “each item presented for consideration is entitled to a full and free 179 debate. Each person speaks once, until everyone else has had an opportunity to speak.” 180 181 So, with that said, how does the council group together ten agenda items for one vote 182 without discussion? It seems very shady and unethical. Regular Session Page 4 of 33 01/16/2024 183 The city of College Park elected our mayor twice and it wasn’t for her exceptional 184 ability to chair city council meetings. It was because we honor and respect her. We 185 chose her to represent our values and act in our best interest. 186 Please let her do just that. 187 188 Thank you for your time, 189 Wendy Tennery 190 191 Ms. Sartia Kelly King said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do 192 that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King, 193 Jr. I'm Sartia Kelly King, residing on York Road in the Mighty Ward IV. I want to 194 address my concerns about Mayor Motley Broom and her "friends" rallying people to 195 create chaos due to their opposition to the changes happening this year with the new 196 council. It's time to accept the outcome – the people have spoken, the people have 197 elected representatives whom we trust. There was no rallying in the past four years; 198 you and the previous council voted collectively. The majority in this city has been 199 underserved tremendously since the departure of the late Longino. Change is 200 challenging and uncomfortable, and those smart strong Black men who lost their jobs 201 or were forced to resign during your tenure may agree. This is the new College Park, 202 and the majority supports it. If you don't, you can step down and allow someone else 203 to take the reins instead of causing chaos for the next four years because we the 204 majority are honestly sick and tired of the shenanigans. 205 206 It's time to give it up – the next four years are all about change and unity! That pain 207 hits differently when you have to sit in it and that is all you and your neighbors can do 208 at this point. 209 210 Congratulations, Councilman Gay, on your election as Mayor Pro Tem. And, 211 congratulations to the entire city of College Park – we have finally achieved the unity 212 we've been praying for. Allow these individuals to fulfill the responsibilities they were 213 elected for and refrain from obstructing their progress due to personal vendettas. To the 214 new council, maintain your morale and stand united. 215 216 Have a good evening and stay safe! 217 218 Mr. Demetris Taylor said: Greetings and Salutations to All Mayor and Council and 219 to the citizens of College Park 220 221 I am Demetris Taylor, 16-year resident of Embarcadero Club Apartments in Ward 2 222 and as I will continue to say, I am not THE VOICE of the People...I AM THE 223 PEOPLE!! 224 225 First, I would like to commend Mayor Bianca for establishing the Mayor Bianca 226 Bulletin as a direct response to my inquiry about Mayor and Council actually answering 227 the questions posed during Council Meeting by the citizenry. In addition, 228 Councilwoman McKenzie has also created her platform, the One Ward 1 Facebook Regular Session Page 5 of 33 01/16/2024 229 page where she has already begun to address the concerns citizens have about the 230 ongoings of City Council. Thank you, ladies, for your concerted efforts of being 231 communicative with us. It is my hope that the others will follow suit and I trust that 232 it's all in a matter of time. 233 234 Footnote: Councilwoman McKenzie, THANK YOU for explaining why the council 235 voted the way they did on the operational procedures of The Council. For far too long 236 we have been operating haphazardly and now that we have a new administration, I 237 believe this is what is needed to put things in proper order. 238 239 Secondly, I have deep concerns about the Hightower project. Where is it? We've had 240 a groundbreaking ceremony a year and a half ago if not two and there is nothing to 241 show us that this project is in development. It is my understanding that he has been 242 granted SEVERAL EXTENSIONS, but what is going on with the land? What was the 243 contingency in the contract for the city if the land was not developed in a certain amount 244 of time?? 245 246 In addition to The Hightower project, what is to become of the old Target site? I know 247 the owners of the land is under heavy scrutiny by the citizenry, but the land is now 248 sitting with no plans or "COMING SOON" signs anywhere. Are we conducting any 249 "due diligence" with our landowners to make sure they are compliant with their 250 contracts? 251 252 Thank you CPPD and CPFD for the WARMING CENTER!! With this onset of 253 inclement weather, we appreciate your efforts. I am asking that we make sure that all 254 of these new unhoused citizens that are making their home along the downtown streets 255 are being directed there. I am aware that there is a tent on the lawn of the church, by 256 permission I am told, of someone who is unhoused, and the church is doing all they can 257 to assist him, but I've also seen a few people sleeping on the benches and even the 258 ground across from MARTA and on its property. I guess my greater question becomes 259 has the city been made aware of the new additions to our community and what is being 260 put in place to expedite a plan of action to keep this from becoming an issue? 261 262 Congratulations to our new SARGENT... SARGENT P (I am going to misspell his 263 name).... You have been a shining example on the force and a true gentleman, yet a 264 force to be reckoned with!! You are committed to excellence and you take pride in your 265 work!! Your accolades are well deserved, and I salute you in your 266 endeavors!! Looking forward to the day you become CAPTAIN so I can say, "I knew 267 you when...LOL" 268 269 That's it... I should be at my 3-minute mark.... Thank you for your time. 270 271 Pastor Barbara McKee said: Due to the weather please share this with the Mayor and 272 Council. 273 Regular Session Page 6 of 33 01/16/2024 274 Councilwoman McKenzie has been working with me and my organization for many 275 years When I was down with many medical issues back in 2017 Councilwoman 276 McKenzie did not hesitate to come to me and pray with me. Not only praying but what 277 she could do in the community to continue my work. I have to say she is done and is 278 still serving the people in College Park, not just certain individuals but all who live in 279 College Park and the surrounding areas. I do know she have the community's best 280 interest on her heart, and Councilwoman McKenzie I believe will continue to work her 281 hardest for the betterment of our City. I just want the Mayor, Council, and citizens of 282 College Park to know that Councilwoman McKenzie will do her very best as unto the 283 Lord. 284 285 Pastor Barbara McKee 286 287 My name is Catie, and I live on Hemphill Street. I have been horrified watching this 288 new council try to silence our mayor and change the structure of our government just 289 days into the start of this new year. The mayor was re-elected by the majority of this 290 city, which means that the vast majority of people were happy with her leadership. 291 Now, rather than start this year off right by focusing on what you all can do for the 292 residents of this city, the very first things you have decided your time is better spent on 293 is targeting a woman who you don’t seem to like. Further, the way that the men on the 294 council choose to speak to our mayor reeks of misogynoir and blatant disrespect. 295 Moreover, the disrespect you all have shown to the residents of this city is alarming. 296 Calling a special meeting that lasted less than 10 minutes and wasting a whole lot of 297 people’s time was one of the more upsetting things I have seen from this council. You 298 are two weeks in and you need to do better. Please stop trying to silence our mayor 299 and please stop disrespecting and wasting the time of the citizens of College Park. 300 301 City Clerk Shavala Ames said I have no other comments. 302 303 Mayor Motley Broom said if there is anyone in the audience who wishes to speak, they 304 can approach at this time. 305 306 Mr. Rex Willis, 1927 John Calvin, College Park, Ga., came forward and said 307 congratulations to Councilman Gay on Mayor Pro-Tem. It’s a long-time coming. I 308 don’t want to attack Council or a citizen, but where were you four years ago when 309 things were said about Jack Longino and how he was treated? I didn’t see any of you 310 all coming up here. We lost. I accepted it. When the new administration comes in, 311 things change. If they were not allowed legally to do it, they could not do it. So, let’s 312 first get it off the table. 313 314 Mr. Willis said Jamelle worked very hard to campaign for her race. So did Tracie, so 315 did Pam, and so did James. And so did the Mayor. Some won, some lost. But to attack 316 the Mayor, come on guys, be for real. Councilman Gay got a little radical at times, and 317 he should have the way he was being treated. And Councilman Carn had to go back 318 and forth to say what he wanted to say. 319 Regular Session Page 7 of 33 01/16/2024 320 Mr. Willis said I have been here 45 years. I have been involved in the city. I have 17 321 grandkids and 8 kids. I run a successful business. I run a nonprofit. And like I said 322 before, things change. When Bianca did things that she did to Subrenia, I didn’t come 323 up here every council meeting raising hell. I could have. I had a right to, but I moved 324 on for the betterment of the city and this community. So, I do want the Mayor & 325 Council to get along and do the best thing for the city. Let all of us move forward and 326 get along the best we can. And please, don’t come up here and talk about racism. I 327 don’t need to come up here and make up things about Bianca Broom. But she is the 328 Mayor. She should be respected. I have 5 daughters. So, all women should be 329 respected. Jamelle, I want you to do the best for Ward 1. I live in Ward 1. Times up. 330 331 ACTION: Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie moved to extend time to Mr. Willis, 332 seconded by Councilwoman Tracie Arnold and motion carried. 333 334 Mr. Willis said that is what she instituted. If you didn’t sign in before 7:00 and get 335 here, you wouldn’t even be up here. Mayor made changes. Let’s be fair. Give these 336 ladies and men a chance to do their job. Mayor, I’m not going to come up here 337 anymore. I don’t have to say anything about your past. Ken Allen knows better. 338 Ambrose knows better. And I know better. 339 340 Mr. Willis said I will not come up here and say anything more about the Mayor, but I 341 will hold her accountable just as the rest of Council. I look up to one person; All Mighty 342 God. I do appreciate all the hard work you all did and to see you all up there. They 343 used to make “N” jokes up there. So, we have come a long way. Thank you for your 344 time, and thank you Mayor for giving me a couple more minutes. 345 346 Mayor Motley Broom asked, does anyone else wish to speak? If so, you can come on 347 down. 348 349 There were no further comments made from the public. 350 351 6. Annual Appointments. 352 353 A. Appointments for Ward 2 – College Park Main Street Association. 354 355 Councilman Carn said I appoint Ms. Valaurie Lee. 356 357 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve to appoint Valaurie Lee as the Ward 358 2 Board Member to the College Park Main Street Association, seconded 359 by Councilwoman McKenzie and motion carried. 360 361 B. Official Bank Depository. 362 363 Ms. Charlene Craig from Truist Bank came forward and said we appreciate the long-tenure 364 partnership that we have with the City. And we continue to want to be your partner and do 365 what’s best for the citizens of the city. I’d be happy to answer any questions. Regular Session Page 8 of 33 01/16/2024 366 367 Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie said I have no questions. 368 369 Councilman Carn said great to have you on board as usual. 370 371 Ms. Craig said thank you. 372 373 Councilman Carn said we missed you at the last meeting. You guys have been a great 374 partner with us. We want to continue that partnership. We are also going to honor our 375 commitment to a significant portion of our funds going into an African-American bank. We 376 are glad that you are for that and sharing with that. I think we are actually going to close on 377 it this year. 378 379 Ms. Craig said we are excited about that and in full support. 380 381 Councilwoman Arnold said I have no questions. 382 383 Councilman Gay said the only question I would have is: If we vote on this tonight, and if 384 we do find a bank that meets the criteria of the municipal deposits, are we set with the dollar 385 amount? 386 387 Ms. Craig said we are supportive of what you guys have already voted on. If you need to 388 vote again, that’s okay too. 389 390 Director of Finance & Accounting Althea Bradley said there is no minimum amount that 391 we have to have placed in Truist Bank, just as long as we have enough funding for our cash 392 flow, as far as the payments and cash receipts. 393 394 Ms. Craig said I wanted to be able to introduce my team leader Ron Alston, who runs our 395 not-for-profit and government group at Truist. 396 397 Mr. Ron Alston came forward and introduced himself. Thank you for the faith you have in 398 us and for the relationship. We truly appreciate it. 399 400 Councilman Carn said I would love to get with you and talk about other initiatives you are 401 doing for other places. 402 403 Mr. Alston said absolutely. 404 405 ACTION: Councilman Gay moved to appoint Truist Bank as the Official Bank 406 Depository with the consideration that an agreed upon percentage to be 407 deposited in a minority bank, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and 408 motion carried. 409 410 7. Public Hearing. 411 Regular Session Page 9 of 33 01/16/2024 412 A. Motion to approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Type II Home 413 Occupation for an arts and crafts studio at 1579 Vesta Avenue. Ward 1. 414 415 City Planner Deborah Rogoff-Ezra came forward and said I am putting before you 416 consideration for a petition for a Conditional Use Permit for a Type II Home Occupation, 417 which will be an arts and crafts studio. According to Division 4, Section 3.7 of the Code, a 418 Conditional Use Permit is required for this type of use. There are no impacts to the 419 community. 420 421 City Planner Deborah Rogoff-Ezra said the applicant is LaLisa Alita Anderson. She has 422 been a resident for many years. She lives at 1579 Vesta Avenue. It is an R-3 Zone in Ward 423 1. She is proposing an addition on the second floor, which will be a 600 square foot studio, 424 a covered porch which is 160-square feet, and a small extension to the main building. The 425 total is 979-square feet. The additions will be considered as part of a building application. 426 In your packet there are examples of her artwork. The setbacks and all the standards are 427 met so no need for a variance. 428 429 City Planner Deborah Rogoff-Ezra said there are no employees. The applicant is hoping to 430 have booths and sell her products online. There are 6 parking spaces in front of the unit. 431 She will not be using any gas or Kil fire that would cause issues. The neighbors are in 432 support of the arts studio. This is the applicant’s retirement goal. The neighbors and the 433 architect came to the Planning Commission meeting too. Staff’s recommendation is for 434 approval of this type of Conditional Use. (See City Planner’s Report for further details). 435 436 Mayor Motley Broom said we will open the public hearing at this time. 437 438 Mayor Motley Broom asked if there was anyone from the public that would like to speak 439 for or against the Conditional Use Permit for an arts studio at 1579 Vesta Avenue. 440 There were no comments from the public. 441 442 Mayor Motley Broom declared the public hearing closed. 443 444 Mayor Motley Broom asked if the Councilmembers had any questions. 445 446 Councilwoman McKenzie said I also paint. I want to commend Ms. Anderson for pursuing 447 her passion. I looked at some of her artwork, and it is wonderful to have her in our 448 community, specifically in my ward. That’s all I have to say. 449 450 Councilman Carn said I have no questions. 451 452 Councilwoman Arnold said thank you Deborah for presenting very thorough information. 453 I liked the art. Thank you. 454 455 Councilman Gay said I have no questions. 456 457 Mayor Motley Broom called for a vote. Regular Session Page 10 of 33 01/16/2024 458 459 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve a Conditional Use Permit for a 460 Type II Home Occupation for an arts and crafts studio at 1579 Vesta Avenue, 461 seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried. 462 463 8. Other Business. 464 465 A. Motion to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Business and 466 Development Authority (BIDA), as approved by Council and amended by BIDA. 467 468 There was no vote for this item. Motion failed. 469 470 B. Consideration of and action on Ordinance No. 2024-01 to amend certain Sections 471 in Chapter 2 (Administration) relating to parliamentary procedures for City 472 Council meetings and proclamations. 473 474 Councilman Carn said City Attorney, I know there was a slight change. I did get something 475 electronically. I wanted to make sure we are on the same page. 476 477 Councilwoman McKenzie said so basically, we are approving what was sent to us earlier. 478 479 Councilwoman Arnold and Councilman Gay had no questions. 480 481 Mayor Motley Broom said I do not believe this Ordinance is fully valid, enforceable, or 482 constitutional. And I would incorporate by reference and restate my continuing objections 483 to this motion and this ordinance that I incorporated at the Special Called Meeting on 484 January 5, 2024. 485 486 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Ordinance No. 2024-01 to amend 487 certain Sections in Chapter 2 (Administration) relating to parliamentary 488 procedures for City Council meetings and proclamations, seconded by 489 Councilman Gay and motion carried. 490 491 C. Motion to approve a healthy initiative program developed by the Fulton County 492 Board of Health and the O’Donnell Marketing Group: the “Healthy Looks Good 493 on You” campaign. 494 495 Councilman Gay asked staff to contact CVS Health for potential funding and the 496 Moorehouse School of Medicine (Occupational Division). 497 498 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve a healthy initiative program 499 developed by the Fulton County Board of health and the O’Donnell 500 Marketing Group; the “Healthy Looks Good On You” campaign, seconded 501 by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried. 502 Regular Session Page 11 of 33 01/16/2024 503 D. Motion to approve the Master Services Agreement with Hinderliter De Llamas & 504 Associates for hotel and motel tax administration. 505 506 There was no discussion from Councilmembers. 507 508 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve the Master Services Agreement with 509 Hinderliter De Llamas & Associates for hotel and motel tax administration, 510 seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried. 511 512 E. Motion to extend on-call and general engineering services contract with Prime 513 Engineering Inc. and authorize a purchase order and budget allocation in the 514 amount of $110,000.00. 515 516 Councilman Carn said I have comments. 517 518 Mayor Motley Broom asked Councilman Carn; if there is a motion --- 519 520 Councilman Carn said I have comments on that item. I am going to speak my comments. 521 522 Mayor Motley Broom said Councilmember, I would ask if there is a motion - - 523 524 Councilman Carn said again, this is why we are having to make changes so we can 525 communicate effectively. At the last meeting I asked about William Moore coming in to 526 do some consulting before we commit to any contact. Before another contract, I definitely 527 want to get another assessment. We are going to look at it at some other time Thank you. 528 529 The other Councilmembers had no comment. 530 531 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to deny extending an on-call and general 532 engineering services contract with Prime Engineering Inc. and authorize a 533 purchase order and budget allocation in the amount of $110,000.00, 534 seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried. 535 536 F. Motion to award an annual contract renewal to Colliers Real Estate Management 537 Services for the continued management of the Federal Aviation Administration 538 (FAA), federal regional facilities, located at 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, 539 GA, in the amount of $119,700.00 during the contract period of January 1, 2024 – 540 December 31, 2024. 541 542 Councilman Carn said I guess we can prorate something monthly, until we get that RFP out. 543 544 Director of Finance & Accounting Althea Bradley said it would be month to month. 545 546 Councilman Carn said all right. Get with Purchasing and get that out as soon as possible. 547 548 The other Councilmembers had no comment. Regular Session Page 12 of 33 01/16/2024 549 550 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve to allow RFP submittals for 551 management services for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 552 federal regional facilities located at 1701 Columbia Avenue, seconded by 553 Councilman Gay and motion carried. 554 555 G. Motion to approve the proposed 2024 State Legislative Priorities for the City of 556 College Park, GA. 557 558 Councilwoman McKenzie said this can be accepted but not with the No. 1. I think it is 559 important to remove the Local Option Sales Tax. This is a relationship that we have with 560 Fulton County. That’s my thought on the matter. 561 562 Councilman Carn asked, is Peachtree here? 563 564 Ms. Brecca Carter said yes. Janelle Adams and Tyler Moore is here. 565 Councilman Carn said I received a couple of calls about you all attempting to force a 566 meeting that they did not want to have. Now, we were previously scheduled for a meeting 567 with our delegations some time in December. 568 569 Ms. Carter said yes, sir. 570 571 Councilman Carn said my understanding is that due to the holiday schedule they could not 572 do it in December and were going to schedule it for some time in January. I received a call 573 from two legislators saying they got a call from you all saying the Mayor wants to have this 574 meeting in December. And they reiterated they were not available in December. And then 575 I was told that the government relations person insisted again that they have this meeting. 576 It was a young lady, so I am assuming it was either Janelle or Laura. Was it you or the other 577 young lady? 578 579 Ms. Carter said I spoke with Representative Schofield (sp) about a meeting during the 580 Legislative Special Session inviting all the Councilmembers, previous Council and Mayor 581 to meet with the delegation. 582 583 Councilman Carn asked, after they sent us correspondence that they were not available in 584 December, who instructed you to go back and insist that we have a meeting in December? 585 586 Ms. Carter said I want you to know that I did not insist. I just asked if we could still move 587 forward. 588 589 Councilman Carn said well, that’s not what I heard, and that’s not what I was told by our 590 representatives. That was not warranted. That was not something that this Body would 591 have wanted done. If the Mayor instructed you to do that, and that’s an if, which I suspect 592 is what happened, because I don’t think you just got it on your own to insist that they have 593 a meeting when they said they could not schedule the meeting. I’m going to ask again. 594 Regular Session Page 13 of 33 01/16/2024 595 Ms. Carter said I went at the instruction of my boss to go speak with Representative 596 Schofield. 597 598 Councilman Carn asked, so this was done at Bo’s decision? 599 600 Ms. Carter said if you want to ask him more questions, you can ask him offline. 601 602 Councilman Carn said I heard you loud and clear. You went by the instruction of your boss. 603 I’m not happy with your performance. I don’t want to be embarrassed from my lobbying 604 firm and the State Legislature having issues and concerns with you all. Lobbying is about 605 having good relationships and keeping them with our representatives, correct? 606 607 Ms. Carter said yes, sir. 608 609 Councilman Carn said well, you’re not off to a good start for the beginning of this year, and 610 I’m not happy about it. So, we are going to revisit what we are doing with you all and your 611 contract at some point. 612 613 Councilman Gay said I have a comment. My son was a Page last year. Can you coordinate 614 with City Clerk and our representatives about the Pages, and put it on our website for the 615 kids in our community? 616 617 Ms. Carter said yes, sir. 618 619 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve the proposed 2024 State 620 Legislative Priorities for the City of College Park, with the exception of 621 Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and 622 Gay and motion carried. 623 624 H. Motion to approve Resolution Number 21 for the City of College Park’s revised 625 application for the Fulton County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 626 three-year funding grant application for park and facility improvements. 627 628 Councilman Carn said I believe we had an issue with Zupp Park. 629 630 Councilwoman Arnold said I want to get more information with reference to Zupp Park. I 631 see that Zupp Park was being removed from the list because it is in a flood plain. 632 633 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said that is correct. 634 635 Councilwoman Arnold asked, because it is in a flood plain, does that mean that it can’t be 636 upgraded? 637 638 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said it means that it wouldn’t be 639 eligible for this grant. Fulton County wants the project to move quickly. We can look for Regular Session Page 14 of 33 01/16/2024 640 budget funding because Zupp Park is on my list. All the park upgrades is what I would like 641 to get done within the next five years. 642 643 Councilwoman Arnold asked, do we have any grants that are in the pipeline where we can 644 address Zupp Park? 645 646 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said not currently. CDBG is what 647 I have been doing for several years for the park improvements. 648 649 Councilwoman Arnold said okay. It is on the list for the budget. 650 651 Councilman Gay said I want you new guys to know that for years the CDBG requires at 652 20% match. And when we got ready to build the Splash Pad there was a 20% match, which 653 my colleagues did not vote on it. We were able to talk with Fulton County and certain 654 services were considered in-kind. And two, you mentioned that the CDBG requires you to 655 fund a full park. 656 657 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said the resolution is for an 658 alternative park. So, we are looking at Evans. 659 660 Councilman Gay said this Body needs to determine what the third park will be. 661 662 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said it would need to meet the 663 environmental requirements. 664 665 Councilman Gay said we have other parks. 666 667 Councilman Carn asked, what is the timeline for adding an additional park? 668 669 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said they want a resolution for the 670 park we want to fund. 671 672 Councilman Carn asked, can we swap out for another piece of property? Can you find out 673 tomorrow? 674 675 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said absolutely. Is there a site that 676 you have in mind? 677 678 Councilman Carn said we are looking at some sites. So, there is no deadline tonight? 679 680 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said no. They need the resolution 681 now. 682 683 Councilman Carn asked if we can approve this at the next meeting. 684 Regular Session Page 15 of 33 01/16/2024 685 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said I’m sure I can talk to Fulton 686 County. 687 688 Councilman Gay said I would like to weigh in. I worked extensively with the last CDBG. 689 There is no way they are going to approve a site that is not a part for this particular funding. 690 My question is: Did they want to choose a park that is already existing on the list? 691 692 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said it has to meet those 693 guidelines. 694 695 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve Resolution Number 21 for the 696 City of College Park’s revised application for the Fulton County Community 697 Development Block Grant (CDBG) three-year funding grant application for 698 park and facility improvements, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion 699 carried. 700 701 I. Motion to approve Fulton County Arts and Culture (FCAC) Municipality Support 702 Funds (MSF) grant application for up to $50,000.00 for cultural arts programming. 703 704 Councilman Gay asked, where is that earmarked for? 705 706 Director of Recreation & Cultural Arts Michelle Johnson said there was a breakdown of all 707 the events. 708 709 Councilman Gay said thank you. 710 711 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve Fulton County Arts and 712 Culture (FCAC) Municipality Support Funds (MSF) grant application for up 713 to $50,000.00 for cultural arts programming, seconded by Councilman Carn 714 and motion carried. 715 716 J. Motion to approve sewer credits totaling $25,863.41 to various commercial 717 accounts. 718 719 There were no comments from the Councilmembers. 720 721 ACTION: Councilman Gay moved to approve sewer credits totaling $25,863.41 to 722 various commercial accounts, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and 723 motion carried. 724 725 K. Motion to approve the voting delegate resolution for Electric Cities of Georgia. 726 727 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to approve the voting delegate resolution 728 for the Electric Cities of Georgia, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion 729 carried. 730 Regular Session Page 16 of 33 01/16/2024 731 L. Motion to approve two (2) invoices for Flock Safety in the amount of $48,000.00. 732 733 There were no comments from the Councilmembers. 734 735 ACTION: Councilman Gay moved to approve to pay two invoices for Flock Safety in 736 the amount of $48,000.00, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and 737 motion carried. 738 739 M. Development of hotel/motel multifamily lighting standards. 740 741 Councilman Carn said Hugh, this is something I want us to work on. We had a brief 742 conversation about it. A big part of public safety is adequate lighting. Some of our 743 apartments, as well as our motels, have lighting that is too dim. I want to go out one evening 744 and identify some of the better lighting of other complexes. We want an assessment and 745 have you come back and report to us. We want to set a standard for all apartments and 746 motels to have decent adequate amount of lighting. 747 748 Councilwoman McKenzie agreed. 749 750 Councilwoman Arnold said we should do this study for safety and security for our residents. 751 752 Councilman Gay said at the BIDA meeting they talked about the mural under the bridge. 753 There are some GDOT lights that I recommend. 754 755 Director of Power Hugh Richardson said I can talk to you about that. 756 757 It was the consensus of Mayor & Council to move forward with drafting lighting standards 758 for hotel and motel properties. 759 N. Motion to approve bi-monthly multifamily taskforce meetings. 760 761 Councilwoman McKenzie said I agree this needs to be done. 762 763 Councilman Carn said this is a continuation City Manager of what we were doing before 764 you got here. Myself and Councilwoman Arnold comprise of more than 85% of the 765 multifamily apartment complexes in the city. This is one of the biggest fixes that will overall 766 improve the quality of life in the city. We are going to crack down on this. 767 768 Councilwoman Arnold said I think everyone should enjoy where they live. We need to set 769 some higher standards to support the quality of life for the residents in these apartments. I 770 am looking forward to this committee to establish these standards and what our expectations 771 are. 772 773 Councilman Gay said during this recent election, the apartment owners and managers need 774 to be held accountable. Forty percent of the community is transit. It doesn’t make sense to 775 not participate for something that took us 100 years to have. Number two, we need to get 776 our police more involved in the apartment communities. The community events are fine. I Regular Session Page 17 of 33 01/16/2024 777 want the officers back in the apartment communities. We used to do welfare checks and 778 rent rolls. We need to know these communities and these people. This city is disconnected 779 from its apartment communities. 780 781 Councilwoman McKenzie said I have no comment. 782 783 Councilman Carn said Councilman Gay is not lying. Top priority City Manager. 784 785 Councilwoman Arnold said I support both of those comments. 786 787 ACTION: Councilman Gay moved to approve multifamily apartment meetings for 788 every two weeks, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried. 789 790 O. Discussion of impact fees. 791 792 Councilman Carn said we need to establish some impact fees. Lots of other cities have it. 793 These fees help provide expanded parks and recreation program funding, fire protection, 794 and road improvements. We want to put together an Impact Fee Study. I know Mr. 795 Robinson is familiar with it from DeKalb County. Folks, we have to step up to the plate. I 796 want the residents to know that we are hitting the ground running. And we are serious about 797 improving every aspect of this city, from corner to corner, from neighborhood to 798 neighborhood, from block to block. We are going to get it done. City Manager, we want 799 to get going with this study and put together a solid Impact Fee Ordinance. 800 801 Councilwoman McKenzie had no comment. 802 803 Councilwoman Arnold had no comment. 804 805 Councilman Gay said he would like to take a look at the impact of the tractor/trailers from 806 the study on the Old National Corridor. They have torn our streets up. 807 808 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve to conduct an Impact Fee Study and 809 adopt an ordinance for implementation of suggested results from the study 810 to include fees, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and motion carried. 811 812 P. Discussion of contract with MARTA and the City of College Park. 813 814 Mayor Motley Broom said I am going to let Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay take the gavel. 815 816 Councilman Carn said this is something I wanted to speak on. 817 818 Mayor Motley Broom said I wish to speak on this matter. 819 820 Councilwoman McKenzie said we have to vote on that Mayor. 821 822 Mayor Motley Broom said as Chair, I can hand it over. Regular Session Page 18 of 33 01/16/2024 823 824 Councilman Carn said you are still here. You can’t hand it over and still be here. 825 826 City Attorney Winston Denmark said she can relinquish the Chair. 827 828 Councilman Carn said Mayor Pro Tem, I have comments. 829 830 Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay asked if Councilwoman McKenzie had any comments. 831 832 Councilwoman McKenzie said I would like to know exactly what we are going to be 833 discussing on this. 834 835 Councilman Carn said essentially this is a real estate purchase and sales contract that we 836 executed December 7, 2023. This is with MARTA for a parcel of property up in the corner 837 of the City of College Park. I had issues and concerns with purchasing this property from 838 MARTA. MARTA definitely thought it was in their best interest for us to purchase this 839 property, but I did not think it was in College Park’s best interest to purchase the property. 840 841 Councilman Carn said this property has restrictions on it. Us buying it means that MARTA 842 still has a say, in terms of the purposes of the land. And MARTA still has rights to that 843 land, in terms of retention ponds and other things that they can do on the land. Our proposal 844 was to build something permanent, but it’s kind of hard to build something permanent when 845 MARTA has an option to come in at any time they see fit. 846 847 Councilman Carn said the other issue I had was the location of this. Parks are great. Parks 848 are great for communities. But there is a much greater need, because all of our residents do 849 not have direct access to a full-size park, like the Old National/Godby Road Corridor. They 850 deserve that access. And I’m going to try to make it my business to make sure that everyone 851 gets equal treatment and equal level of services. 852 Councilman Carn said this is not a good deal for us. There is an out clause with this thing, 853 in terms of us being the purchaser. We can give written notice that we are not interested. 854 And it is at our sole discretion. Again, it’s not the worst project I’ve seen, but there is a 855 higher and greater need, and a much better project that covers our citizens with equity. That 856 is my proposal for nullifying this contract. City Attorney, if there is a consensus, I want 857 you to send notice to let them know; thanks but no thanks. And look somewhere else for a 858 community park. 859 860 Mayor Motley Broom said I think Finding the Flint Project is an incredibly important one 861 for our community. And it has been one that has garnered community support since, I 862 believe, 2018. And I understand and I concur with Councilman Carn that we have needs 863 throughout this city for great green space. This location is one that is not dictated by us. It 864 is where the head waters of the Flint are. And we have an outstanding opportunity to partner 865 with the Atlanta Regional Commission, which has said that they are committed to try to 866 fund this project to the tune of $150 million throughout the entire network. 867 Regular Session Page 19 of 33 01/16/2024 868 Mayor Motley Broom said we have an outstanding opportunity to partner with 869 Aerotropolis/Clayton County. Because it is not just about a park, it’s about the real issues 870 about stormwater issues that we are facing, not only in College Park but downstream. And 871 Clayton County is experiencing some of those challenges every single time we have these 872 massive storms. And we know because of climate change, things are happening at a more 873 frequent rate. We have a chance with Finding The Flint to help mitigate some of those 874 issues downstream. 875 876 Mayor Motley Broom said so, it’s not just about a park. It’s about improving our entire 877 environment. Clayton County Commissioners are on board. We have the Atlanta Regional 878 Commission on board. We have a number of regional partners that are looking at this and 879 want to support us every step of the way. The one key was; we had to own the land. And 880 the Council said last year, yes, we want to own the land, and we want to move this project 881 forward. 882 883 Mayor Motley Broom said so, I would urge my colleagues to support that vision because it 884 is one that is in the best interest of the entire community. I recognize that it is not one that 885 is in the Old National/Godby Road Corridor. I absolutely positively think that we should 886 be working towards greater access to green space across this entire community. Bar none. 887 I don’t think that means that we abandon this project. 888 889 Councilwoman Arnold said I hear what both of my colleagues are saying in reference to 890 yes, I support 100% on us advocating for a park on Goby Road. We need one. It’s long 891 overdue. And, any monies that we spend when it comes to extra green space, I’m pushing 892 for a park on Godby Road. The families, the children that live on Godby Road, they need 893 a place to go. They’ve needed a place to go for years. 894 895 Councilwoman Arnold said we complain about the activities that we don’t want to see on 896 Godby Road, but we don’t give the children any type of an outlet. There are no recreational 897 programs. There is no park. What else are they supposed to do? And I’m speaking from 898 experience as a parent raising children living in an apartment complex. 899 900 Councilwoman Arnold said so, I understand the importance of us saving the environment. 901 That’s important, yes, because we want to leave something to our children. But right now, 902 Godby Road is on fire. And we have to do something about it. And talk is cheap. And 903 right now that is all that I am hearing right now. Parents are suffering. Children are going 904 to jail because they don’t have anything else to do but to get in trouble. So, I don’t know 905 that I’m necessarily for spending this money on Finding the Flint. 906 907 Councilman Carn said this alternative park does save the environment, as well. And I 908 understand environmental issues, I understand we are dealing with climate change and all 909 of that. I’m proposing some climate change along one of our most popular corridors. I’ll 910 make you all a deal. As soon as we establish a full-size community park within walking 911 distance of all of our neighborhoods, then let’s bring back up the Flint and take a look at 912 that point. But right now I got thousands of children that can’t get to a park. And this park 913 is what we need in our community for peace of mind, time for reflection, and all of the other Regular Session Page 20 of 33 01/16/2024 914 benefits that our other neighbors enjoy and some of our neighbors on the south end of town 915 do not enjoy; and we are going to seek partnerships with Aerotropolis, with Playful Cities 916 USA, and all the partnerships we’ve done with other parks and community projects so it’s 917 going to be a community park with community partners just like the rest of them. Even more 918 so. I’m excited about it. This $218,000.00 is going to a better use, not that the Flint is a bad 919 use. We have to prioritize in this city, and that starts in 2024. 920 921 Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay said I would like to make a comment. 922 923 Mayor Motley Broom said point of order. 924 925 City Attorney Winston Denmark said when it is time to vote, you can hand the gavel back 926 to the Mayor, and she will call for a vote, and you can comment at that time once she is 927 presiding over the meeting. 928 929 Councilman Gay said okay. 930 931 Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay passed the gavel back to Mayor Motley Broom. 932 933 Councilwoman McKenzie said I know that this is a project that we have been working on 934 for quite some time in the city, however I am ambivalent at this moment and I’m trying to 935 make the determination. I hear from my colleagues the concerns that they have had and 936 there is an unfair balance in our city in terms of recreation facilities in terms of what I 937 should say, parks. So, I’m still making a consideration and that’s I have to say at this point. 938 939 Councilman Carn said no more comments. 940 941 Councilwoman Arnold said I made my comments earlier. 942 943 Councilman Gay said I appreciate any conservation of any bodies of water. I want to let 944 my colleagues know that this was before us for a grant for approximately $800,000.00 or 945 $900,000.00 through the federal agencies, but we didn’t get the grant. So, that money was 946 going to pay for the land. If the ARC is looking to fund this project, perhaps MARTA can 947 wait until College Park purchases this parcel. But I do agree with my colleagues that there 948 is an opportunity to look at more green space in more areas at this time. 949 950 Councilman Gay asked, did we pay the downpayment on December 7, 2023, the 20%? 951 Director of Finance & Accounting Althea Bradley said I will have to look into that. I will 952 send you an update. 953 954 Councilman Carn reading from MARTA’s agreement document. 955 956 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to withdraw the MARTA Intergovernmental 957 Agreement for the Flint River Project, seconded by Councilman Gay. 958 Councilman Carn voted yes. Councilman Gay voted yes. Councilwoman 959 McKenzie opposed. Councilwoman Arnold voted yes. Motion carried. Regular Session Page 21 of 33 01/16/2024  960 961 9. City Attorney’s Report. 962 963 City Attorney Winston Denmark said I have nothing to report. 964 965 10. City Manager’s Report. 966 967 City Manager Stanley Hawthorne said I am happy to report that we are now sending out the 968 Strategic Performance Report. It is approximately 37 pages across the departments of 969 activities going on over the last two weeks. We are sending it out to as many of our 970 households as we can reach. That is it. 971 972 11. Report of Mayor & Council. 973 974 Mayor Motley Broom – said I want to share that I have been selected to the Board 975 of Directors for the National League of Cities. I am very excited about the 976 opportunity. And I have also been selected for one of the four board committees. I 977 will be on the Board of the Legislative Action Committee, which is responsible for 978 overseeing the implementation of the lobbying agenda, in partnership with the 979 Executive Committee of the National League of Cities and the full board. The 980 Legislative Action Committee also serves as a link between the NLC Federal 981 Advocacy Committees and the Board of Directors. 982 983 Mayor Motley Broom said so, as we move forward with the things that are really 984 important to us, but may not necessarily be within the purview of the State, we do 985 have a voice. I am joining Councilmember Christina Hobbs from Union City; a 986 Councilmember from Fairburn; and Councilmember Byron Ames from Atlanta. I 987 am looking forward to that work. 988 989 Mayor Motley Broom said I have also spent time last week with the Georgia 990 Municipal Association’s EMS Task Force, which is diving into some of the issues 991 we are seeing in our community regarding EMS issues and EMS issues across the 992 state. Last week we met with the Georgia Department of Public Health to learn more 993 about the rules and regulations surrounding EMS service and the various service 994 areas. Senate Bill 16 is under consideration. 995 996 Mayor Motley Broom said last week I had the opportunity to go to the Georgia 997 Chambers Eggs and Issues Breakfast, which is the unofficial kickoff to the 998 legislative session. And there the Governor spoke and talked about his budget, 999 which is proposed to include a doubling of local maintenance improvement grant 1000 funds, which is how we do a lot of our paving around here. So, there is never ever 1001 enough money to pave the roads. So, this is actually good news for communities 1002 across the state if this passes. There are some other things the Governor has his eyes 1003 on. 1004 Regular Session Page 22 of 33 01/16/2024 1005 Mayor Motley Broom said I am looking forward next week to the Georgia Municipal 1006 Association Cities United Conference. Cities from all across the state will be in 1007 Atlanta to meet, confer, learn, train, and go to legislature and talk about the concerns 1008 facing cities. 1009 1010 Mayor Motley Broom said I also wanted to thank Train Or Die and Jay Shoates (sp) 1011 and his team. They did a great Christmas Eve Toy Giveaway on the Old National 1012 Corridor. I had an opportunity to join them. They do this to make sure that children 1013 are blessed with toys in the extended stays. I want to thank our Fire and Police 1014 Departments for making a smooth morning of the whole thing. It was great. That’s 1015 all I have. 1016 1017 Councilwoman McKenzie - said this is my 16th day for Public Service to the citizens 1018 of College Park. I begin my 16th day report with much sorrow. Our College Park 1019 Police Department suffered a great loss today. Sergeant Shakeya Walker was a 1020 dedicated member of our College Park PD. She had a heart of gold, and she was 1021 truly one of those persons who cared and served from the heart. My prayers and 1022 condolences are with the family and the loved ones in our PD. Gone too soon, but 1023 she will never be forgotten. I ask that you keep our PD in your prayers, because we 1024 are not okay. 1025 1026 Councilwoman McKenzie said on January 8, 2024, I joined the FHOAA Group, 1027 which is the original African-Americans who lived in the area which is now known 1028 as Six West. These are people who were displaced due to urban revitalization and 1029 airport expansion. With staff, we have established Price Barbershop. And the 1030 homes located next to it are historic landmarks. And we are working on the 1031 placement of historic marker throughout the Six West area. 1032 1033 Councilwoman McKenzie said I began meeting with this group shortly after Black 1034 History Month of last year realizing that it was impossible to find history on the 1035 black community here in the City of College Park, which has been in existence in 1036 this city ever since this city was Manchester in the 1890s. And so, I want to thank 1037 BIDA for removing this property from our Six West Sales Roster, and our City Staff 1038 for working with Ms. Gloria Abdula (sp) and her executive team to assist with 1039 making this possible. We moved forward with the project. It was an amazing day. 1040 1041 Councilwoman McKenzie said this past Sunday, January 14, 2024, I attended the 1042 Push Push Arts Drop In Celebration to check out their new venue and their arts 1043 campus which is located at 1805 Harvard Avenue. It was an awesome event with 1044 live music and small bites. It was an opportunity to visit some of the small 1045 businesses that are going to be located in that complex. I’m totally excited to have 1046 Push Push here in College Park, and I look forward to the future. The whole vibe is 1047 amazing. 1048 1049 Councilwoman McKenzie said yesterday College Park participated in the Martin 1050 Luther King Parade with the City of Jonesboro. Councilmembers Arnold, Carn, and Regular Session Page 23 of 33 01/16/2024 1051 myself rode in a recreation vehicle and had the opportunity to spend time with 1052 community members and elected officials from Clayton County Municipalities. It 1053 was an awesome way to celebrate the champion of non-violent social justice, none 1054 other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And I want to thank Brian Anderson for 1055 coordinating this effort, along with Lance, Michelle, Teresa, and Ron. We also had 1056 our dance team there. 1057 1058 Councilwoman McKenzie said in addition, I want to shout out to the New Sergeant 1059 Anthony Paniagua and Officer Wyatt from our PD for attending and bringing the 1060 jumbo screen to the parade. College Park was well represented. It was an amazing 1061 event. And I am looking forward to us doing our own event where we can invite 1062 cities in the future. 1063 1064 Councilwoman McKenzie said on January 7, 2024, I attend the Wild Hog’s Supper 1065 which is the beginning of our legislative session. You meet some of our state leaders 1066 and other municipal leaders. It was a good experience. 1067 1068 Councilwoman McKenzie said I am also excited about my Ward 1 leadership. Mike 1069 Lindsay, my BZA Board Appointee, he was sworn in at the January 8, 2024 BZA 1070 Meeting. Ebony Austin, the owner of New Vogue, who is my Main Street 1071 Association Appointee, she was elected as the Vice President of the Main Street 1072 Association at their January 10, 2024 meeting. And Lisa Williams, who is my BIDA 1073 Board Appointee, was elected Secretary/Treasurer at the January 11, 2024 meeting. 1074 1075 Councilwoman McKenzie said last Friday, January 12, 2024, the City of College 1076 Park Police Department held a promotion ceremony, and we had some amazing 1077 persons who were promoted. Lt. Durden and Lt. Goss were promoted from the rank 1078 of Sergeant to Lieutenants. They are amazing men. Sgt. Snow, Pogorzelski, Jones, 1079 and Paniagua, from Officer to Sergeant. I want to thank Chief Rogers for her 1080 leadership. 1081 1082 Councilwoman McKenzie said I met with Dr. Emmanuel to discuss the 1083 implementation of curbside recycling. And I want to thank him for the presentation 1084 he made during our Workshop Session. I want to thank my Councilmembers who 1085 expressed their interest to see a program like this to go forth. 1086 1087 Councilwoman McKenzie said I’m also concerned about the trees on Rugby and 1088 Washington. I will be addressing issues such as that. 1089 1090 Councilwoman McKenzie said I have also been driving around to see some of the 1091 streets we would like to have paved in Ward 1 under the grant. Those decisions 1092 should hopefully be made within the next few days. 1093 1094 Councilwoman McKenzie said during the past two weeks I met with several of our 1095 department heads. And I will continue to do that for the month of January. I want 1096 to see how I can partner with staff. Regular Session Page 24 of 33 01/16/2024 1097 1098 Councilwoman McKenzie said I will be attending a course at UGA for the newly 1099 elected officials, and the GMA meeting that the Mayor mentioned. We also have our 1100 legislative luncheon at the Capitol. 1101 1102 Councilwoman McKenzie said I want to shout out to Public Works, Power, and First 1103 Responders for your hard work and efficiency during the inclement weather that we 1104 have been experiencing over these past few weeks. You have been spot on, and I 1105 truly appreciate your work. 1106 1107 Councilwoman McKenzie said I will be in my office hours sometime in February 1108 after my inauguration, and we will also hold our Ward 1 meeting around that time. 1109 In the meantime, I plan to meet with our community champions to organize our 1110 teams, and that meeting will be held tentatively at Club E on January 27, 2024 at 1111 10:00 a.m. 1112 1113 Councilwoman McKenzie said I also want to remind everyone that if you want to 1114 get in contact with me prior to those meetings, you can reach out to me at my email 1115 at: jmckenzie@collegeparkga.com. We also have our Facebook Page which is 1116 onewardone. Our website is www.1ward1.com. For Instagram, it is oneward1. 1117 We are getting our email distribution set up. I ask everyone to be patient with me. 1118 Councilman Clay is asking everyone to sign up for my email. 1119 1120 Councilwoman McKenzie said finally, I want to strongly encourage members of 1121 the community to come to our council meetings, or to watch them on our city media 1122 with an open mind, and to not rely on hearsay or bias commentaries, masses 1123 information and inspiration that are designed to create confusion, division, and 1124 unrest in our city regarding the decisions of this Council that are being sent to you 1125 by email or posted on any website, other than our official College Park City 1126 Website. One should rely on what you see and what you hear. 1127 1128 Councilwoman McKenzie said let’s unite on the wonderful enormous things that 1129 we have in common and shun the egregious temptations to become divided by 1130 miniscule deviations designed to separate us and to keep us apart. Let us focus on 1131 becoming OneWardOne; and in that let us press forward to become One College 1132 Park. And that’s all I have. 1133 Councilman Carn - said I’m excited about this year. Sixteen days in, and we are 1134 making progress. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there. I heard 1135 comments from the residents about the last few meetings, and I got positive 1136 comments from my neighborhood. They like the new direction we are going in. 1137 They said that we were moving boldly and more decisively. But now we have to 1138 work on fixing these problems boldly and decisively as well. And that’s what we 1139 intend to do. 1140 1141 Councilman Carn said SB-16 John Albers Bill, we want to make sure that’s a 1142 priority throughout the session. Mr. Albers is a very influential person in Fulton Regular Session Page 25 of 33 01/16/2024 1143 County, and we support him 100%. 1144 1145 Councilman Carn said the Wild Hog Supper was really great. I got to do some 1146 networking. Saw a few new faces. It was a great event as always. They killed the 1147 pig as they do every year. 1148 1149 Councilman Carn said it was a great meeting with PHOAA, as well. We are going 1150 to recognize all of our community and their heritages. The Black Heritage was 1151 overlooked in a lot of different ways. Our streets are named after Ivy Leage 1152 Colleges. Only one problem, Black colleges and universities were left out of that 1153 equation. And we are going to look at that as well in the near future. We are 1154 committed to representing all of College Park. 1155 1156 Councilman Carn said the M.L.K. Parade was great. The weather was pretty good, 1157 all things considered. 1158 1159 Councilman Carn said Chief Rogers, the induction ceremony was great. You have 1160 a good roster coming on board. We talked about the NFT tags. I want to do that 1161 as soon as possible. It will bring crime numbers down, if we implement it right. 1162 1163 Councilman Carn said Dr. Emmanuel, I want to give you my street resurfacing 1164 list. 1165 1166 Councilman Carn said on mileage reimbursement, before I went to the county 1167 commission, the Councilmembers received standard mileage reimbursement just 1168 like anybody else. But at some point we stopped receiving that given a certain 1169 distance. 1170 1171 Councilman Carn said folks, we don’t get an actual salary, so to speak. We get a 1172 stipend up here. We are semi-volunteers up here. We get that stipend for two 1173 meetings a month, and the rest are free. And it’s a whole lot of free. Althea, we 1174 want to make sure we are entitled to mileage reimbursement like anyone else, and 1175 that includes outside of the city. 1176 1177 Councilman Carn said I have heard of different mottos we have, to include “City 1178 on the Move” and “Community We Deserve”. There are too many residents that 1179 have not been getting what they deserve. Some are. I have my own motto and 1180 that is ‘We Serve Our Residents First”. There is only one number one, our 1181 residents. City Manager, we are going to have to operate this City’s departments 1182 on the basis of one purpose and one purpose only; to provide our residents with 1183 the best services that we can at the lowest amount of tax dollar that we can, period. 1184 1185 Councilman Carn said there are some areas in our city that are doing pretty well. 1186 And you would be proud to live there, but there are some other areas that are 1187 mismatched and misdirected. Everyone that works here this year, if you are not 1188 reaching out to our residents each and every day with services that they need, if Regular Session Page 26 of 33 01/16/2024 1189 you are not accommodating our residents; that is going to be a problem this year. 1190 I am talking to all of us. We have to double our efforts. I want these entire 1191 departments obsessed with serving our customers first. 1192 1193 Councilman Carn said Michelle, Parks & Recreation is an important program. We 1194 have rec program here that are better than some other cities. At the same time, we 1195 do need some tweaks and changes to these programs. We all want to see better 1196 services to our residents first. The biggest issue I have, and no fault of your own, 1197 is we seem to end up outside of our residents for Parks & Rec for attendance 1198 because we don’t know how to reach our kids. And the reason I believe that is 1199 true, is our kids largely don’t participate in Parks & Rec. There is an 85:15 ratio. 1200 Something is amiss. And that would be with any department. 1201 1202 Councilman Carn said Michelle, I want us to make a concerted effort to flip those 1203 numbers around. And not only that, the bigger issue is that a lot of our children 1204 can’t afford Parks & Rec programs. I am proposing that we look at eliminating 1205 the financial burden for Parks & Rec programming for any family in this 1206 community that makes $50,000.00 or less. 1207 1208 Councilman Carn said I want us out there talking to our children and parents and 1209 find out what they want to do. I want to see the afterschool care. I want to see a 1210 lot of changes in Parks & Rec. We are going to restructure things and cater to our 1211 residents. 1212 1213 Councilwoman McKenzie said I yield to Councilman Gay. 1214 1215 Mayor Motley Broom said I turn it over to Mayor Pro Tem. 1216 1217 Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay said go ahead, Mayor. 1218 1219 Mayor Motley Broom asked, whose responsibility is it to set the framework for 1220 this and ensure that families are meeting the income standards? And do we have 1221 an understanding of what that impact would be if every family in the City of 1222 College Park who makes $50,000.00 or less, what the impact would be to 1223 Recreation and Cultural Arts? 1224 1225 Councilman Carn said one thing I would suggest is to put together a task force 1226 and assess things. The one thing I do know is that staff is up to the tasks and to 1227 figure out how we get there. 1228 1229 Mayor Motley Broom asked City Manager Stanley Hawthorne, have you had an 1230 opportunity to participate in developing this type of program in another 1231 community? 1232 1233 City Manager Stanley Hawthorne said yes. While I am not prepared to comment 1234 in detail, I have to tell you that there are a lot of things that Council has acted on Regular Session Page 27 of 33 01/16/2024 1235 tonight that staff has been caught by surprise. And it does concern me going 1236 forward, if this is the way we are going to conduct business. With that said, this 1237 is an issue I discussed with Councilman Carn previously. One of the things that 1238 has surprised me about our structure is we have a high level of participation by 1239 non-residents with no distinction of the fees that are charged. With an amended 1240 motion, it will give staff a chance to present impacts and scenarios. And it can 1241 be discussed during the budget. 1242 1243 Councilman Carn said my motion still stands. I would like implementation on 1244 this by May. 1245 1246 Councilwoman McKenzie said I like the idea of no cost for families that cannot 1247 afford it. If we made this affordable and attainable, it would afford a wonderful 1248 opportunity to many children. But it is going to require some planning and 1249 looking at our budget. 1250 1251 Councilwoman Arnold said thank you for bringing this up. I think it is very 1252 important that we have something in place for families in College Park, whether 1253 it is a sliding scale or free. I do think we need to do some research on it. We 1254 need to think about before and after school programs, too. I am looking forward 1255 to what is going to come out of this impact study. May is a bit late to register. 1256 We spend money on other stuff and nobody questions it. I am asking for a more 1257 aggressive timeline. 1258 1259 Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay asked Councilman Carn, would you like to change 1260 your motion to add a more aggressive timeline? 1261 1262 Councilman Carn said absolutely. Let’s go. 1263 1264 Councilwoman Arnold said maybe we start small. 1265 1266 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to allow fee recreation programs for all College 1267 Park residents with a household income of $50,000.00 or less citywide, 1268 seconded by Councilman Gay. Councilman Carn withdrew his motion. 1269 Motion did not pass. 1270 1271 Mayor Motley Broom said I concur with Councilwoman Arnold to make sure we 1272 are doing more for those who cannot afford our recreational services. My concern 1273 is that we rush into a policy and then that policy gets abused. If we set this income 1274 ceiling, who verifies it? Do people bring in their tax returns? How is this all coming 1275 together? And we also know that people get ID’s that are not in the City. Is that up 1276 to recreation staff to confirm that? I just want to make sure that the policies we set 1277 forth are ones that support this program and make it successful. 1278 1279 Councilwoman Arnold said I don’t disagree with what the Mayor said. But I think 1280 we have smart, capable staff members that can make it happen. Regular Session Page 28 of 33 01/16/2024 1281 1282 Councilwoman McKenzie asked, how do we verify a person’s residence in College 1283 Park? Utility Bill? Driver’s License? I’m sure we will find a way to do this. We 1284 did it with the utility program. Let’s focus on the majority of families; the youth 1285 that will be saved. And hopefully this will cut down on crime. 1286 1287 Councilman Carn said ultimately we are not going to have abuse. We are going to 1288 have a grateful community. We will put parameters in place. 1289 1290 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve a policy to implement free recreation 1291 and cultural arts programs for all College Park residents with a household 1292 income of $50,000.00 or less to be implemented aggressively and 1293 immediately, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried. 1294 1295 Councilman Carn said on the Federal Lobbyists trip, we want to coordinate with 1296 everybody. That’s all I got. 1297 1298 Councilwoman Arnold - said I enjoyed participating in the Wild Hog event. It was 1299 an opportunity to meet other representatives and to learn more about my colleagues. 1300 1301 Councilwoman Arnold said and I enjoyed the M.L.K. Parade. What you see before 1302 you are 130 years of change. This is a historic moment. We have made history and 1303 change. We should document the history that we have made of the Body. Fifty to 1304 100 years from now, somebody is going to be studying College Park, and they will 1305 want to know who did what to affect their lives. 1306 1307 Councilwoman Arnold said over the 16 days, I am still learning. I see opportunities 1308 that we can leverage. There are technologies that we can leverage. Do we have 1309 access points in all of our activities? Do we think that not everyone has access to 1310 the internet? Just something to think about. 1311 1312 Councilwoman Arnold said Godby Road is important to me. I grew up in an area 1313 like Godby Road. I would like us to make some changes in the budget to have 1314 crosswalks at every entrance into the complexes. We need to make things easier for 1315 staff. We need extra programming for our children and our families. We need a 1316 way to participate in the development of the agenda. What about the initiatives that 1317 Council has? Maybe we can add that in. So when we make decisions, we will know 1318 what area it will impact. Those are my comments. 1319 1320 Councilwoman Arnold said it was nice to participate in Push Push. I would like for 1321 us to do a better job publishing these events. Can we come up with a process? 1322 I would like us to do a better job receiving the information and recognize those in 1323 our community doing great things. 1324 1325 Councilwoman Arnold said our New Ward 3 website is: www.cpward3.com. I’m 1326 encouraging all the residents of Ward 3 to subscribe to the newsletter and to share Regular Session Page 29 of 33 01/16/2024 1327 your thoughts of what you want to see in Ward 3 and how I can better assist and 1328 advocate for you. Thank you. 1329 1330 Councilman Gay – said I was looking at the 10-day weather report. I don’t think it 1331 is going to get to 50 until next Thursday. I would like for us to not cut off anybody 1332 until then. Nobody needs to be cutoff. 1333 1334 Councilman Gay said we need to allow Fulton County to create the Promise 1335 Academy. I thought that one of the commitments was they were going to notify our 1336 constituents ahead of time about enrollment. They have already reached out to our 1337 community at-large. So, City Manager, I guess you will take that lead. 1338 1339 Councilman Gay said I don’t know if anybody ever got expired insurance. This 1340 happened to one of my constituents. It wasn’t his car. The registration was 1341 cancelled. Somebody stopped him. And when he went to court, there is nothing 1342 that is sent out from the DMV certified to let someone know of their cancelled 1343 registration. I would like to see if state agencies can send out certified notices. 1344 1345 Councilman Gay said City Manager, I would like to do an intergovernmental 1346 agreement with One Talent that is next to Club E, to administer a grant as part of 1347 their tax exemption. They have an educational purpose. I understand from City 1348 Manager that there are no gratuity issues. I want to immediately enter into an IGA 1349 with them. They will come over here and show you their IRS documentation. The 1350 amount is $8,000.00. 1351 1352 Councilman Gay said we also agreed to pay outside of the amended budget for an 1353 allotted camera. I would like a date certain. 1354 1355 Councilman Gay said we need to know when the speed humps are going to be 1356 installed that this Body agreed on. 1357 1358 Councilman Gay said we need to go back and revisit White City Road. As some of 1359 you may not know, White City Road starts off in the City of South Fulton and ends 1360 up in Ward 4. There is open-air prostitution. We might also need to have our 1361 representative to talk to the DA’s Office. It is just one or two houses. We want to 1362 deal with that immediately. 1363 Councilman Gay said when you are at Herschel Road and 29, that road has been 1364 demolished by tractor-trailers. We need to reach out to GDOT. That corner needs 1365 to be repaved. 1366 1367 Councilman Gay said this is just a comment. You absolutely need green space for 1368 the development of children. The reason you can’t afford to live around Piedmont 1369 Park is because of the park. You see, green space is more economic than brick and 1370 mortar. Maybe we should look at an IGA with some of the property owners over 1371 there, because green space is economic. Target connects both sides of Godby. And Regular Session Page 30 of 33 01/16/2024 1372 maybe we can look at taking out Sea Ray Leon (ph). Just throwing that out. That’s 1373 all I have, Mayor. 1374 1375 Mayor Motley Broom said I have the gavel back. 1376 1377 Councilman Carn said City Manager, for the next week or so, let’s help remind 1378 people to wrap their exterior pipes. 1379 1380 Mayor Motley Broom called for a motion for executive session. 1381 1382 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to enter into Executive Session at 10:31 1383 p.m. for the purposes of litigation and personnel, seconded by 1384 Councilwoman Arnold and motion caried. 1385 1386 12. Executive Session. 1387 1388 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to exit Executive Session at 11:32 p.m., seconded 1389 by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried. 1390 1391 13. Approval of Executive Session Minutes. 1392 1393 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to approve Executive Session Minutes dated 1394 January 16, 2024, as presented, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and 1395 motion carried. 1396 1397 14. Adjournment. 1398 1399 Mayor Motley Broom declared the Regular Session adjourned at 11:32 p.m. 1400 1401 Councilman Carn said we did not get a consensus on an item out of Executive Session. 1402 1403 Mayor Motley Broom said we are adjourned at 11:32 p.m. 1404 1405 Councilman Carn said we are not adjourned. 1406 1407 Mayor Motley Broom said I am the Chair, sir, and we are adjourned. 1408 1409 ACTION: Councilwoman McKenzie moved to override the Chair’s decision to adjourn 1410 the meeting at 11:32 p.m., seconded by Councilman Carn and motion 1411 carried. 1412 1413 ACTION: Councilman Carn moved to terminate the employment of City Manager 1414 Stanley Hawthorne for cause, seconded by Councilman Gay. Councilman 1415 Carn voted yes. Councilman Gay voted yes. Councilwoman McKenzie 1416 abstained. Councilwoman Arnold abstained. Motion carried. 1417 Regular Session Page 31 of 33 01/16/2024 1418 Mr. Hawthorne said I would like “termination for cause” to be explained to me. 1419 1420 Councilman Carn said you will get that from City Attorney Winston Denmark. 1421 1422 Mr. Hawthorne said there are stipulations in my contract that deal with - - 1423 1424 Councilman Carn said City Attorney, that is a discussion for Executive Session. 1425 1426 Mayor Motley Broom said Mr. Hawthorne has the opportunity to speak. 1427 1428 Councilman Carn said not with Executive Session items. I disagree completely. 1429 1430 Mayor Motley Broom said Mr. Hawthorne, go right ahead. 1431 1432 City Attorney Winston Denmark said the law says what we “may” discuss in Executive 1433 Session. The law does not say what we “must” discuss in Executive Session. Nevertheless, 1434 the Council can, by majority vote, not allow further discussion. 1435 1436 Councilman Carn said with all due respect City Manager, I think we are done for tonight. 1437 We will follow up with you in the morning. 1438 1439 Mayor Motley Broom asked, is there a discussion on limiting Mr. Hawthorne’s ability to 1440 comment? 1441 1442 ACTION: Councilman Gay moved to approve to receive no further comments from Mr. 1443 Stanley Hawthorne, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried. 1444 1445 The meeting adjourned at 11:38 p.m. 1446 1447 1448 1449 1450 1451 CITY OF COLLEGE PARK 1452 1453 1454 1455 _________________________ 1456 Bianca Motley Broom, Mayor 1457 1458 1459 1460 ATTEST: 1461 1462 1463 ________________________ Regular Session Page 32 of 33 01/16/2024 1464 Shavala Ames, City Clerk Regular Session Page 33 of 33 01/16/2024